This is a nice pick up. 247 has him as a 4*. He was a 3* in high school but has picked up a star in college. Nice that his uncle is our DC and LB coach. Welcome to CAL Jackson. On another note, I am really concerned about the direction of the unlimited transfer that can be allowed within the portal coupled with head coaches moving AND big NIL deals. Texas A&M has announced that any consensus 5* that comes there will get a guaranteed $1m NIL deal for his first year. Meanwhile, 5* former Oklahoma starting QB Caleb WIlliams has entered the transfer portal. Will he follow Lincoln Riley to USC or will he go to A&M for a cool million? If we are going to have a transfer portal and NIL deals then just maybe we could have contracts like they do in the NFL where they don't even enjoy this level of free agency. The rules we have now will create a super conference at the collegiate level and all the rest of the schools will be SOL. Go Bears!!
The suiper conference already exists: The SEC. The doom you predict has already happened, you just haven't been able to admit that quite yet.
The ACC, Big 10, Pac-12, Big-12 are all the minor leagues of college football. Just ask ESPN, other networks who they are lavishing their TV budgets on. The SEC, of course. Just follow the money.
As for the movement, I have the direct opposite position. College football is a multibillion dollar sport and I think Cal can get creative and find Silicon Valley firms interested in a creative partnership with Cal. At the million dollar level? Maybe not. But I can see great partnerships formed if our AD is aggressive.
And players should get that money. I don't believe that we should talk about free market capitalism in every aspect of their lives, and then go, 'Oh yeah, but when it comes to your college years, we'll give you a year by year scholly and meals.' If your talents are worth someone paying a million dollars for, then you best believe that they're really worth X times that. Caleb should go where he see fit and where it pays him and his family life changing money.
I'll agree to disagree. I think there has to be some reasonable way to manage all this that works for the players, the schools and the entire NCAA. And, I think the NFL should pay the NCAA big bucks as we are a free farm system for their multibillion low tax business.
It wouldn't only have to be companies in Silicon Valley. SF and Oakland have plenty of businesses with $$$ for NIL deals. They're closer to Cal & near transit if the players need in-person meetings or filming/photoshoots/etc.
Those multibillions come from TV $$$$ not rich alumni. I would be OK if those TV $$$ trickled down to players in an equitable way rather than alumni coaxing players to come play at $1mm per pop. At that point it is a pro league w/o a salary cap which the League has.
To me, the $$$ you are quoting as a "multibillion dollar sport" CONTINUES to go to the wrong peeps. So, it is up to alumni to out bid each other and use money that is not included in your "multibillion dollar" pool of resources. We all know schools like Cal (really a majority of schools > 90%) will not have alumni willing to pay $1mm NILs. Heck, I bet very few here at W4C contribute to the football team!!
I'm all for players getting "paid" out of the NCAA's pool of money. Else, it is the same problem which NIL was "supposed" to solve: i.e. players should benefit from their play and get a portion of the $$$ they GENERATE (TV, uniform deals, etc). The current system doesn't do that. Only fanatics in the SEC will benefit and the rest of the teams nationwide have no chance to compete against that.
When I heard Sirmon was in the transfer portal I thought this might happen. I'm not crazy about it. We have plenty of talent at ILB. Frankly, I'm not sure Sirmon can get in the 4-deep. He's good at run stopping but isn't that great in space. For PAC12 play your 'backers need to do well in space. Paster, Rutchena, and Iosefa all do well in space. Oledajo is in the same mold as Sirmon, good in the run game but needs work in the passing game.
I would have been fine had Sirmon gone elsewhere and that his schollie was used for a LT or RT on the O-line.
Hey are we certain that Jack Plummer is actually transferring to Cal? I know it has been reported by W4C, but when looking at the transfer portal 2 weeks later it still doesn't show him as coming to Cal.
I don't expect any issues with father coaching son since I'm sure this isn't the first time for the Sirmons. Presumably this will lock both in for the next 2 years, especially if the younger helps the defense perform better.
This is win-win: we strengthen our team while weakening our opponent. Moreover, Jackson will be able to play for his day while receiving an upgraded degree! Welcome to Cal, Mr. Sirmon.
Good news, not sure where he fits. All of the ILB's look to be pretty good so someone like Paster or Oladejo may have to go outside.
One will either be a OLB or a DB
neither will be a DB. possibly Paster goes to OLB. Oladejo is an inside guy and doesn't have the wheels for OLB.
This is a nice pick up. 247 has him as a 4*. He was a 3* in high school but has picked up a star in college. Nice that his uncle is our DC and LB coach. Welcome to CAL Jackson. On another note, I am really concerned about the direction of the unlimited transfer that can be allowed within the portal coupled with head coaches moving AND big NIL deals. Texas A&M has announced that any consensus 5* that comes there will get a guaranteed $1m NIL deal for his first year. Meanwhile, 5* former Oklahoma starting QB Caleb WIlliams has entered the transfer portal. Will he follow Lincoln Riley to USC or will he go to A&M for a cool million? If we are going to have a transfer portal and NIL deals then just maybe we could have contracts like they do in the NFL where they don't even enjoy this level of free agency. The rules we have now will create a super conference at the collegiate level and all the rest of the schools will be SOL. Go Bears!!
The suiper conference already exists: The SEC. The doom you predict has already happened, you just haven't been able to admit that quite yet.
The ACC, Big 10, Pac-12, Big-12 are all the minor leagues of college football. Just ask ESPN, other networks who they are lavishing their TV budgets on. The SEC, of course. Just follow the money.
Peter is his father.
As for the movement, I have the direct opposite position. College football is a multibillion dollar sport and I think Cal can get creative and find Silicon Valley firms interested in a creative partnership with Cal. At the million dollar level? Maybe not. But I can see great partnerships formed if our AD is aggressive.
And players should get that money. I don't believe that we should talk about free market capitalism in every aspect of their lives, and then go, 'Oh yeah, but when it comes to your college years, we'll give you a year by year scholly and meals.' If your talents are worth someone paying a million dollars for, then you best believe that they're really worth X times that. Caleb should go where he see fit and where it pays him and his family life changing money.
I'll agree to disagree. I think there has to be some reasonable way to manage all this that works for the players, the schools and the entire NCAA. And, I think the NFL should pay the NCAA big bucks as we are a free farm system for their multibillion low tax business.
It doesn't sound like it's about the money for Caleb. He and his father have said multiple times that it is about preparing him for the NFL
That's a shame, because Charlie Batch's mighty Eastern Michigan Eagles are in the $1M Caleb Williams sweepstakes too!
https://twitter.com/CharlieBatch16/status/1478860539606573060?s=20
If that's the case then he should go and play for Riley at USC. Pundits are saying that Riley will turn him into the #1 pick.
Possibly, or Riley suddenly nuking OU might've left a bad taste in his mouth but we'll see
It wouldn't only have to be companies in Silicon Valley. SF and Oakland have plenty of businesses with $$$ for NIL deals. They're closer to Cal & near transit if the players need in-person meetings or filming/photoshoots/etc.
Those multibillions come from TV $$$$ not rich alumni. I would be OK if those TV $$$ trickled down to players in an equitable way rather than alumni coaxing players to come play at $1mm per pop. At that point it is a pro league w/o a salary cap which the League has.
To me, the $$$ you are quoting as a "multibillion dollar sport" CONTINUES to go to the wrong peeps. So, it is up to alumni to out bid each other and use money that is not included in your "multibillion dollar" pool of resources. We all know schools like Cal (really a majority of schools > 90%) will not have alumni willing to pay $1mm NILs. Heck, I bet very few here at W4C contribute to the football team!!
I'm all for players getting "paid" out of the NCAA's pool of money. Else, it is the same problem which NIL was "supposed" to solve: i.e. players should benefit from their play and get a portion of the $$$ they GENERATE (TV, uniform deals, etc). The current system doesn't do that. Only fanatics in the SEC will benefit and the rest of the teams nationwide have no chance to compete against that.
Got it. Not sure why I thought Peter was his uncle.
You might have mistaken it with uncle-nephew connection of Bill and Luke Musgrave (Beavers TE).
Jacob Sirmon is the former Huskies QB whose the nephew
When I heard Sirmon was in the transfer portal I thought this might happen. I'm not crazy about it. We have plenty of talent at ILB. Frankly, I'm not sure Sirmon can get in the 4-deep. He's good at run stopping but isn't that great in space. For PAC12 play your 'backers need to do well in space. Paster, Rutchena, and Iosefa all do well in space. Oledajo is in the same mold as Sirmon, good in the run game but needs work in the passing game.
I would have been fine had Sirmon gone elsewhere and that his schollie was used for a LT or RT on the O-line.
No need to doubt me, it could bring on poor health.
And "write" is right, learn how to use the edit feature.
Hey are we certain that Jack Plummer is actually transferring to Cal? I know it has been reported by W4C, but when looking at the transfer portal 2 weeks later it still doesn't show him as coming to Cal.
Nice pick-up.
At least our OT fumble was not shown…..to be sure, I didn’t play the clip…. In case it was slipped in.
Dude had a pretty good game against us, IIRC (even without causing the fumble....). He's a beast and we're lucky to have him!
I don't expect any issues with father coaching son since I'm sure this isn't the first time for the Sirmons. Presumably this will lock both in for the next 2 years, especially if the younger helps the defense perform better.
Seems like everyone at Cal wins here.
This is win-win: we strengthen our team while weakening our opponent. Moreover, Jackson will be able to play for his day while receiving an upgraded degree! Welcome to Cal, Mr. Sirmon.
Prolly a dumb question, but how do we get him pictured in a Cal uniform so quickly? Is this photoshop at work? If so, that’s a little strange to me.
Players, coaches, they get photoshopped all the time. That's why Clancy Pendergast had his head tilted in different shirt photos.
LFG!
Great news, thanks for the update.
Nice work!! Kid makes plays! Welcome.